Karen missed painting with us last Sunday because she was working on her new website... that got me to thinking... check out Karen's new website, our newest member Patrick's website, and several other members who have sites. A list with links can be found in the side bar of this OOPS blog.

If you don't have a website you can create a blog at no cost (FREE) with relative ease and little knowledge of computers. Click here to start one... CREATE A BLOG... you must create a Google account (also FREE... directions in link) and then it is easy as 1,2,3...

Monday, April 20, 2009

Call to All Plein Air Painters...(2008 "1st Place" painting by our own Stephen Greer.)

The Community Council for the Arts is hosting it's second annual Plein Air Paint Out and Juried Exhibition April 30- May 9, 2009. This paint out coincides with the Kinston/ Lenoir Chamber of Commerce's signature event, The BBQ Festival on the Neuse.

Plein Air Painters of all skill level are invited to paint our historic downtown and charming waterfront on April 30 & May 1st from 9- 5 PM. An entry fee of $15 will allow you to enter the competition and compete for the 1st, 2nd or 3rd place prizes. Our first place winner will be featured on the 2010 Festival On the Neuse posters!

At the close of the day on Friday, participants are invited to bring their best three pieces to the Arts Center to be on display for the week. The sale of all art work is strongly encouraged.

Friday, April 17, 2009

A dear artist friend and mentor of mine, Larry Seiler, recently posted this reply on a thread titled Plein air for dummies - Do's and dont's on the Wet Canvas! art forum. He has given me permission to post it here since it is so relevant to our plein air group and loaded with nuggets of wisdom. Thanks Larry...Bernie

PS... you may want to check out Larry's plein air demos... there is a link to them in our Tips, Techniques, Demos, Videos, and Info for Plein Air Artists side bar.

Here's the post...

Re: Plein air for dummies - Do's and dont's

Plein Air is putting all your experience and knowledge aside, your reputation and prepare for chapter and verse of learning to see and paint all over again. Nature is a great teacher, but throws a lot of lumber at you.The upside is...you may very well arrive at an epiphany moment (all prior painting experience and reputation aside), and suddenly see that you are becoming a painter.There is something pure and honest about the moment outdoors, seeing something that excites your aesthetic senses, then introspectively being suspicious that given the opportunity YOU'LL mess it up and blow the whole thing.The novice sees everything and attempts to paint it all. Setting up perhaps with some initial notion...but an elusive one. An undisciplined impracticality that requires to be honed, shorn up... or top the moment and not chasing it.The mature painter sets up recognizing the compulsion to paint. Experience leads to understand that few essentials are responsible to nail down and capture that which was responsible for demanding to be painted. The mature painter discriminates...recognizing that noting what ought NOT to be painted is as important if not MORE than what is painted.The mature painter having worked thru hundreds of paintings understands that nature throws a lot of lumber...that is, many more visual voices that become recognized to exist only after starting the painting, for painting is a means to opens the eye to see more. It is the more seen, that becomes dangerous for the novice, thinking him/herself astute in seeing to put it down as validation of some higher greater proof of their powers of observation. They will learn in time that paintings work for reasons paintings work.A good thing to say to yourself again and again nearly as a mantra for your painting time is "where everything is shouting, nothing gets heard"simplify...simplify...simplifyOver my years painting and teaching workshops... beginning painters are very conscientious about integrity of what they are seeing. There is this underlying sense that you are beginning to get on top of painting outdoors when your painting more accurately represents what you are seeing and the colors you are seeing. However... such is no guarantee that nature has cooperated to deliver you a fine compositional layout. As an artist that matures painting outdoors, you will learn that nature is yet a reference, and that again paintings work for reasons paintings work.In time...you will nearly learn to see your painting finished before you begin it...seeing in your mind those few essentials extrapolated in a masterful way to assure a sound solid painting the result. Perhaps it will require to make one group of trees taller to take on that necessary role of a vertical juxtaposition against an otherwise bland horizontal mass. Perhaps it will be to extend the end of a mass beyond the central divide of your canvas so that the cliche of symmetry is avoided.It takes time to understand a number of things, primarily that which is responsible for tripping your trigger...grabbing you by the jugular and demanding to be painted. Painting from life, the moment, responding to the light is perhaps more about coming to know yourself more intimately and coming to peaceful terms about your aesthetic whims and heart. The harmony sought thus is not one just on the canvas alone between working parts, pigments, and elements...but one that is in sync with your own artistic heart.It is indeed about painting the effects of light...and painting outdoors you will become near insanely attuned to your surroundings. Driving down the road very little will escape you, and you begin to feel more fully alive.You will learn to adjust your painting routine knowing your area and that important aspect of light which is threatening at any moment to vacate, leaving you standing there wondering whatever it was that drew your interest to begin with.You may change your supports ground, a midgray perhaps or toned so that the very few touches of paint instantly record what light is doing. White canvas so often fights against such immediacy, requiring much of the canvas to be filled in first before a sense of what is happening is finally seen in cohort of everything else. By that time the light may have changed several times...and the result is you have several paintings going on at once.So...my suggestions are that you do not set out to begin this journey with allusions of coming home with successful works. In the beginning, it will be about conditioning yourself. Developing a working palette...a routine of expediency, and empowering your sense of vision that underscores the "why?" of your need to set up and paint.I often say it takes about 120 bad paintings to learn something about painting, and again and again I have had my share of amusement and laughs when a seasoned well known and popular artist very experienced in their genre/field tries plein air for the first time and admits to feeling as though they knew nothing of painting whatsoever! Nature will do that to you...No need to paint large when you first begin.Keep them about 8"x 10"...no larger than 9"x 12"...I suggest bringing a dozen 5"x 7"s... and in the beginning use just black and white and do value studies. A dark, mid, light and white. Squint the eyes... see the main masses, and put them down.then mix up a couple (no more than two) halftones within each main value. Dark...now has two halftones representing it....mid, two halftones representing it...light etc.,Then note those areas of the main masses that melt and lead the eye into the next as a bridge. This is where the halftones are painted.In time...mix up your dominant colors the same way. If the scene is predominantly green...pre-mix up a dark green, mid green, light green...before starting to paint. See the distant masses represented simply...perhaps cools, and relegate to one or two values.There are many more palette strategies to go from here, but this very simple approach will get you started and cause you to feel you are getting some handle on this.I hope and wish you well...LarryCheck out Larry's websites and blogs...My Bargain Bin blog- "Will Paint For Gas!"

Thursday, April 16, 2009

It has often been said that "art imitates life and life imitates art"... and there is valid truth to that statement. Life is a progression, a maturing movement, and is often... not what it seems. Ones art talent naturally is a progression (at least hopefully) that matures with time, practice, and experience. Artwork, in many cases, through technique takes on a progression through stages and matures to completion. What about those in between stages where things aren't as they seem?... a stage that can actually be UGLY! Just like in life... patience, perserverance, and hard work produce masterpieces that we never dreamed of.

This next painting is a great visual example of the statements listed above. Another one done "en plein aire" on location in the mountains of North Carolina. Once again, Tami dropped me off, this time in a field where I had been observing these haystacks all week. In the Blue Ridge Mountains near Boone, NC, the open fields are covered with these haystacks (haybales is probably a better name) in the early summer... a beautiful site. I wanted to try and paint them similar to Monet's impressionistic style since we both seemed to have a thing for haystacks.

Stage 1...Find a spot similar to Monet's in composition.

Stage 2...A simple charcoal sketch for composition.

Stage 3...I blocked in areas with the complimentary color as an under-painting per say to the colors I planned on using. Nothing fancy... used a brush and a palette knife. You could call this the UGLY stage.

Stage 4...Painted sky and tree line with small dabs using a paint brush. Painted the stacks and field with short linear strokes with a small palette knife.

Stage 5...Refined and refined some more... and at last finished in about 2 1/2 hours time.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Message #1...Bernie,Friday the Oriental Painters are heading into the Tryon Palace Gardens at 9am. See if you can get off work and meet us for painting garden colors... pass on the info to the OPPS Gang... the gardens are open all weekend for free.

Message #2...More info for your group. Do any of your guys want to come to Art on the Neuse and do a booth together? Love to have you all and spend a day showing art. We are cheap. Its the day before Fathers Day (June 20) and usually a good day for out-of-towners doing the camp visit.

WHERE: Cedar Point location of the Croatan National Forest Park just outside of Onslow County in Carteret County... see map, photos, and details below.

WHY: Plein Air Painting... we're addicted!

WHAT ELSE: Maybe a dutch treat dinner somewhere we all agree upon or possibly a cookout at the park?????

.Spring is HERE!

Expecting a BIG turn out from OOPS members!

Join us as we paint at the Cedar Point location of the Croatan National Forest Park... Marsh scenes galore, plenty of trees, meandering pathways, hiking trails, wildlife... etc.You will want to return to this great spot to plein air paint OFTEN!

Plenty of great marsh scenes, water, and trees to paint...The following images are scenes close to the parking lot...

There is a hiking trail that offers a ton of great painting opportunities... just be prepared to carry your gear anywhere from 100 yards to 1/2 mile or more. The following photos show the views from the trail.

Cedar Point Tideland Trail, a National Recreation Trail, includes a 0.6-mile loop and a 1.3-mile loop that provide excellent opportunities to view wildlife and explore the salt marsh and adjoining forest. Interpretive signs along the short loop tell the story of the ever changing salt marsh.

The trail meanders through pine and hardwood forests damaged by Hurricanes Bertha and Fran in 1996. Boardwalks cross marshes and open water and offer views of wading birds and other wildlife.

The town of Swansboro can be seen in the distance in the photo below.

Savannah (Bernie's granddaughter) enjoying the hike!

Restrooms are available near the parking area.

Grills and picnic tables are also available if anyone is interested in cooking out.

The Tidelands Trail is at Cedar Point in the southwest corner of the Croatan National Forest. Cedar Point Recreation Area offers camping, picnicking, a ramp for small boats,a fishing pier, canoeing, and kayaking.

Pre-registration is required on ALL workshops! Email me to pre-register.

#1... Cape Cod School Underpainting Method

Carolina Artist Studio Gallery, in Morehead City, NC

Saturday March 14th

10 am - 4 pm

$75

This workshop will be a one day class on how to use the "Cape Cod" underpainting technique that i use to start my paintings. this method came originally from Hawthorne and Hensche, and is now used by many contemporary greats like Peggi-Kroll Roberts, Camille Pryzwodek, Susan Sarback, and Lois Griffel. This technique gives an amazing sense of light to your paintings.There will be lots of painting in this oneThis class is not for beginning painters and you must be an intermediate to advanced oil, acrylic, or pastel painter, or a beginner who has taken one of my workshops before.

#2... Free demo's at Jerrys Artarama in Raleigh

Sat. April 4th

1 pm- 4 pm

#3... Understanding Color- An In-Depth Study

Carolina Artist Studio Gallery, Morehead, NC

Sat. April 25th

10 am- 4 pm

$75

This Saturday workshop will take the mystery out of color. i'll describe how to mix any color both from a limited palette and from split primary palette etc. i'll show you how to gray a color but still keep it from turning to mud and how to lighten and darken a color to keep it colorful without adding its complement.you'll know all the ins and outs of color mixing after this one.

#4... Free demo's at Jerrys Artarama in Raleigh

Sat. May 2nd

1 pm- 4 pm

#5... Raleigh Workshop at Jerrys Artarama

Sat. May 16th

#6... Shenandoah Workshop

Lexington, Va.

Mon. May 18th- Wed. May 20th

9 am- 4 pm

Plein Air Painting- Loose and Colorful

In this workshop we'll be learning how to capture the "feel" of the outdoor scene by learning how-to's on composition, color and value. Guaranteed to take the mystery out of painting 'en plein air' !

#7...Morehead Workshop

Carolina Artist Studio Gallery, Morehead, NC

Mon. June 1st-Wed. June 3rd

9 am- 4 pm

Plein Air Painting- Loose and Colorful

In this workshop we'll be learning how to capture the "feel" of the outdoor scene by learning how-to's on composition, color and value. Guaranteed to take the mystery out of painting 'en plein air' !

#8... Morehead Workshop

Carolina Artist Studio Gallery, Morehead, NC

Sat. June 6th-Sun. June 7th9 am- 4 pm

Plein Air Painting- Loose and Colorful

In this weekend workshop we'll be learning how to capture the "feel" of the outdoor scene by learning how-to's on composition, color and value. Guaranteed to take the mystery out of painting 'en plein air' !

#9... Free demo at Jerrys Artarama in Raleigh

Sat. Aug. 1st and Sept. 5th

1 pm- 4 pm

#10... Raleigh Workshop at Jerrys Artarama

Sat. Sept. 19th

#11... Morehead Workshop

Carolina Artist Studio Gallery, Morehead, NC

Mon. Oct. 12th-Wed. Oct. 14th

9 am- 4 pm

Plein Air Painting- Loose and Colorful

In this workshop we'll be learning how to capture the "feel" of the outdoor scene by learning how-to's on composition, color and value. Guaranteed to take the mystery out of painting 'en plein air' !

#12..Morehead Workshop

Carolina Artist Studio Gallery, Morehead, NC

Sat. Oct. 17th-Sun. Oct. 18th

9 am- 4 pm

Plein Air Painting- Loose and ColorfulIn this weekend workshop we'll be learning how to capture the "feel" of the outdoor scene by learning how-to's on composition, color and value. Guaranteed to take the mystery out of painting 'en plein air' !

This workshop is designed for the participant who wants to learn about painting the landscape directly from nature in pastel and/or oil. The majority of the class will be held on location. In addition there will be classroom discussion and demonstrations relating to landscape painting in general, and pastel or oil in particular. Included in the demos will be one aimed at improving photography as a reference. In case of bad weather, painting will be in the studio from photos or your field studies, so bring some landscape photos or field studies with you (just in case).

Kevin is a landscape painter working in both pastel and oil paints. Plein air landscapes are his primary subject matter. Kevin is a popular workshop instructor with students across the United States. He teaches one to five day workshops in pastel and oil painting in the studio and plein air. Kevin is collected in the US, Canada, Europe, and New Zealand. He is represented by galleries in Maryland, Michigan,Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina. He has had over 20 one-man shows, and has been juried into numerous national shows. www.kevinbeck.com

Thursday, April 2, 2009

What the heck is OOPS?
OOPS is short for Onslow Outdoor Painters Society. OOPS is a gathering of artists from Onslow County, North Carolina, with one purpose... carrying on the tradition of painting "En Plein Aire"... a French term literally translated "In Open Air". We have no officers, no membership dues, no by-laws, etc... we simply gather on appointed dates for "paint outs" enjoying the fellowship of like minded individuals sharing the same passion... plein air painting.

How do I become a member?
Any artist who loves painting "en plein aire" and lives in Onslow County, NC, is welcome to join our group. We welcome all skill levels and mediums... we'll even welcome artists from surrounding areas if they're nice... :)

Simply show up when you can with your painting gear and join in on the fun.

If you are under the age of 18 and interested in joining we ask that you are accompanied by a parent or guardian.

When does OOPS meet?
We gather at "Paint Outs"... dates and locations (within the county) predetermined where we simply fellowship and PAINT! "Paint Outs" occur approx. once a month... usually on a Sunday afternoon. A list of these "Paint Outs" is listed in the side bar of this blog.

What is a "Paint Out"?
Paint Outs are locations... usually within Onslow County... where we gather to paint. The location is usually picked out and organized by various OOPS members. Several of our outings are annual events like "The Banks Party" and the "Arts by the Sea" festival... but for the most part... we paint at different locations each month. We do venture out of the county once in a blue moon for special paint outs. Each artist is responsible for bringing their own gear. We usually meet around 1:00 PM (some artists show up earlier) and paint for a few hours. Sometimes after our paint out we meet at a local restaurant for a dutch treat dinner and discuss the days painting adventure... this is always optional. A complete list of our Paint Out dates and locations is listed in the side bar of this blog under the heading "Paint Outs".

What if I have never Plein Air painted before?
No problem... join in on the fun anyways! Many of our members never plein air painted before they joined OOPS. Ask any of them about the benefits of painting from life and they are sure to tell you that they all have become better artists since joining OOPS. Take a chance... become a plein air painter!

Do artists teach at these outings?
The paint outs are not times of instruction but one can gain a wealth of knowledge from watching any of the artists paint. Seeing how each artist uses different techniques, etc., is a great learning tool. It is always cool to see how each artist sees and renders the same scene differently. All skill levels are welcome to join us. Our group has every skill level represented... from children to artists with gallery representation. Many artists paint for fun and relaxation while many strive to hone their skills. One thing for sure... there is never an aire among the OOPS artists... we are simply a GREAT bunch of like minded people sharing our time and talents with each other which have built lasting friendships. You are sure to feel at home with us!

OK... I'm joining OOPS!
Be sure to check out the Tips, Techniques, Demos, Videos, and Info for Plein Air Artists section in the side bar for some great info about plein air painting. This will help any plein air newbies get acquainted with what to bring to a paint out, etc.

Once you have joined us for a Paint Out or two we ask that you submit a short artist bio and photo so we can include it on our blog.

Last but not least... click here... Subscribe to OOPS! by Email... to subscribe to this blog for all future details and updates. Once you subscribe... you will be sent an email automatically when something is posted on this OOPS blog.

Get the latest news from OOPS!

Who Are We?

The Onslow Outdoor Painters Society (OOPS!) is a gathering of artists from Onslow County, North Carolina, with one purpose... carrying on the tradition of painting "En Plein Aire"... a French term literally translated "In Open Air". We have no officers, no membership dues, no by-laws, etc... we simply gather on appointed dates for "paint outs" enjoying the fellowship of like minded individuals sharing the same passion... plein air painting.

Plein Air

Pronouced plen air... literally means “in the open air"

Membership

Membership is simple...Any artist who loves painting "en plein aire" and lives in Onslow County, NC. We welcome all skill levels and mediums... we'll even welcome artists from surrounding areas if they're nice... :)

So when do we meet?We gather at "Paint Outs"... date and location (within the county) predetermined where we simply fellowship and PAINT! "Paint Outs" occur approx. once a month.

Email subscription gives you all the latest plein air news, events, workshops, artwork, plein air demos and tutorials, info on "Paint Outs", and more from the Onslow Outdoor Painters Society (OOPS)... subscribe today!